Black Swan Books

I thought I was stopping into a bookstore just to kill some time when I had a few hours between what I was doing today, but it literally turned into an adventure! This bookstore is absolutely life-changing, and I really mean that! If you love history OR books in any capacity, definitely check this place out. There are books for everybody… nonfiction books, instructional books, biographies, classical, literature, pieces, poetry books, plays, and more. Beyond that, many of these books are from bygone eras. I literally HELD a book that was published about history pertaining to Westminster Abbey that was published during the reign of Queen Victoria of England. There were MANY vintage and antique books in each room. There are many books that were first editions, or definitely have stories to them beyond just what is written inside them. I ended up getting four books and I literally stopped in just to check Black Swan out. They even have a bin full of one dollar books where you can find a lot of random options for such a cheap price. I bought two from this Ben and I am excited to read them. not to mention, the owner of the bookstore is extremely nice, and is a very sweet man. He was very helpful and kind to talk with. I highly recommend spending some time exploring this store and just flipping through these unique books to see what all is featured in this cool collection. It is truly a GEM in Lexington!

Charming, well-curated little bookstore with shelves full of surprises. I walked out with two titles I didn’t know I needed. The staff knows their stuff and is happy to point you toward hidden gems and local-interest finds. It can feel a bit tight when it’s busy and some rare/collectible prices run high, but the quality selection makes it worth the browse. Great spot for book lovers and gift hunting.

Such a great bookstore! Mostly used with some new ones blended in. My friends took us here while we were in town, and I learned a lot about local authors and the owner was super knowledgeable and helpful. I ended up stocking up on Kentucky authors that I was missing out on! It was cozy and well organized and the owner chatted with us for a long time, and even shared some of his pub cheese from his lunch with me! The community feeling was so strong here, and if I find myself back in Lexington I’ll have to stop back in!

Great little spot, tons of old and unique books. Super friendly I guess owner/manager, such a super kind gentleman. Wonderful experience, my husband found a few books to buy and we will definitely be back!!

Awesome little book store! Owner was very nice and friendly. I think he told me that he had been there for like 39 years!

Great selection and very well organized. He knows his books and doesn’t hoard. A refined selections. Lots of books in fantastic condition. Even a whole section on first editions.

This was the best book store I have ever been to! Such an amazing collection of books that were very well organized. The owner was so incredibly kind and very knowledgeable of his collection.

I’ve collected books for the past 25 years and been to book shops all over the country. Black Swan is definitely in my top ten. Organized, cozy, and the owner is so gracious. He walked me through the arrangement of his shop then let me wander. I picked up three first editions for my collection and when I checked out the owner told me to call him the next day after he went to buy a collection in case he found anything else I may want. While he didn’t find anything else for me, he took my call and wished me luck in my next search.

Absolutely incredible book shop and I am so glad I found it. I love these sort of used bookstores, chock full of anything and everything. Literally floor to ceiling, every room in what appeared to be an old converted house, was packed with books of all genres while maintaining a clean and well organized environment. While I was just browsing, I'm sure they had anything you may desire. From standard used books they also had more collectible editions, great for not only adding to your own but also gifting. There was even some seating available in some of the rooms so one could even take a little break from perusing. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, able to navigate the vast collection with ease. Books were all priced fairly as well. Highly recommend and will definitely be returning.

Very cool used bookstore. I stumbled upon it while in town. The worker was very welcoming and helpful. He guided me around and I appreciated it. They had a vast collection, including lots of impressive first editions. Prices seemed reasonable also. I will come back next time I am in town.

It's a rare/collectible/used bookstore with a great collection, a knowledgeable owner, and a fabulous ambiance - what's not to love. I would gladly pay a bit more than market to ensure that this spot stays open and Amazon gets one less sale. No matter my reason for going, I always find something fun, new, or different. A great place to buy a gift (books are ALWAYS a good gift, pick up Something for yourself, or just spend a few hours browsing and reading. Stop by and keep places like Black Swan open and thriving!

My husband and I visited from St. Louis, and I wanted to find a gem of a bookstore in Lexington. And I am telling you this book store is IT. when we walked in I thought it was a small room, nope. It just keeps going in there and you could spend hours there. The books in there were unique, one of a kind finds. The salesman was a super nice and funny gentleman- who made sure you felt welcomed. Loved everything about the store and will be coming back.

I love a used bookstore! The owner of the store was very attentive and friendly. He showed me a few different spots where I could find what I was looking for. I didn't end up finding anything but I was looking for something very precise. Some of the books seemed a tad overpriced for being used. There are a ton of books here and it's worth checking out.

Clean, bright, excellent selection of used books. Everything has dust jackets. A good mix of genres. We always stop here when we are in town for BreyerFest and check out the horse book selection.

What a genuinely cool bookstore. Rooms and rooms of books, meticulously organized and alphabetized. The gentleman who owns the store was exceptionally helpful about where things were located and what he has in stock. His collection of first editions is incredibly impressive. He was also a fount of knowledge about Lexington. I highly recommend you visit Black Swan Books!!!

Black Swan Books is an interesting book store, to say the least. I think it should be a bit more known though that this store is primarily rare and old books; ones for collectors and hardcore bookworms. I still enjoyed browsing regardless, it's just not somewhere a modern book-type person like me would shop regularly. You will find all kinds of books that date back centuries ago, some even with a price tag if $300-$400. I almost found this place to be more of a museum, but in an awesome way. This store is in what looks to be an old house, and there are different rooms with just about any genre you can think of. The man who was in the store (and I think was the owner) was very helpful and offered his assistance to us. Book lovers must try this store out at least once!

I've never been to a book store I haven't liked and Black Swan Books is no exception! I stopped in today while I was out running errands and was impressed by the wide selection of books for sale here- ranging from classic literature to poetry, as well as many non fiction titles as well. The owner is very friendly and knows his inventory well- I've been looking for a copy of Gone With the Wind and he knew exactly where it was and helped me to find it. I ended up finding a Tom Wolfe book to buy and look forward to reading! I will definitely be coming back to Black Swan Books soon.

Definitely the best used bookstore in Lexington. In addition to the great selection of books (I've found Kenneth Patchen, Thomas Pynchon, John Barth, Alexander Theroux, William T. Vollmann, and other hard-to-find writers), the owner is very knowledgeable and courteous. Highly recommended!

Lovely store with a lot of old books. If you like beautiful old books just for the sake of the history ("to Pearl from Dee Christmas 1935") you will spend too much money here. Mike is sharp tongued and delightful to talk to. If you are a visitor in Lexington, like we were, you need to make sure that you stop here first and Mike will make your agenda for you and make you cancel your reservations in Louisville and also scold you for ever wanting to go to Louisville.

Very interesting and fun to walk through, the gentleman who was there (presumably the owner) was very friendly and helpful!

Amazing place to find cheap books. Cozy and welcoming. The owner is very kind and knowledgeable. The store is a bookworm dream house. The restroom was my favorite. It has flowered wallpaper Aveda small couch. The books are categorized and alphabetically ordered. Go and check it out. I got 4 great books for $30.

This was another stop on my quest to visit all of Lexington's bookstores. Just like the few others, this one too is locally owned. Mr. Courtney, the owner was extremely friendly. I didn't really look through many of the books but most were 1800 and 1900 century literature. All were extremely organized and beautifully placed. Is it possible that a bookstore be beautiful? Yes, in Lexington you don't have to look far. It's located within walked distance of Woodland Park. This location opened at the same time as Joseph Beth bookstore, thirty years ago. This is another Lexington must if you're in the area, looking for a rare book, or love to shop local.

The rare and antique books are gems and the owner has carefully curated his collection. However, his price points are somewhat dated and overpriced. He doesn't take book condition into consideration when pricing and uses a few outdated reference guides to price some of the books. My personal experience was discovering a copy of The History of the Old South with a faded spine and average condition priced over $20 which seemed steep based on condition....much to my joy I found a gorgeous copy in very good condition for $7 at the bookstore that is 12 yards away from this one. I did find a few gems I liked here but paid the inflated price for them. What can you do, the book loving heart wants what the book loving heart wants... In sum, this is a lovely bookstore and I recommend going for the experience. I would just be sure to do some price comparisons when considering a larger purchase.

This is a very nice rare and used book store with a large selection. The barista at a nearby coffee shop told us that you can ask the owner if he has a particular book and he'll walk right to it. He did exactly that, producing a rare book that I've been searching for for months. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the area.

I rarely write reviews on Yelp, but a recent visit to this shop compelled me. I used to shop here when I lived in a second floor apartment in an adjacent building years ago, and loved it then. I recently returned after years away and found the shop just as charming as I left it. I have heard the owner converse just as fluently with a woman asking for books on flowers or a man seeking out JFK books as he did my requests about Buddhism and the Russian Revolution. Upon making my purchases, the owner gave me an unsolicited but wonderful dose of background about the author of one of the books I was purchasing. I remarked to a friend that "you can't get that from Amazon." With a massive selection, a warm and cozy atmosphere, and a place at the heart of one of Lexington's most walkable districts, I urge central Kentucky book lovers as well as visitors to Lexington to add this store to your to-do list. You won't regret it.

This is a great used bookstore. I love the atmosphere of the old house filled with lots of beautiful books. There are selections for just about every genre. I appreciate the first editions and signed books. I discovered very nice collectibles.

I bought one of the Wendell Berry broadsides that Black Swan commissions and sells. (Actually, this one: "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front": http://blackswanbooks.net/?p=63) Since I'm in Virginia, I was a little anxious about how they'd prepare the poster for shipping. So I called them up, had a good conversation with the owner (who was delightful), and bought it over the phone. (Actually, I ended up buying 3.) The package arrived a few days later, and the broadsides were gorgeous and were immaculately prepared. Layers of cardboard and butcher paper, wrapped and folded and taped over the broadsides. They clearly put an effort into keeping the posters safe en route. It felt like I should have done one of those "unboxing" videos people post on YouTube. Anyway, I've never been to the Black Swan store, but I hope, someday, to make it over there. Mike (the owner) seems like a great guy, and the bookstore seems like it's doing really good work.

Friendly. Priced slightly too high for used books. Variety of used books...but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

Two years ago I curiously stumbled into Black Swan Books, and happily found myself back there today. I called ahead of time and the proprietor, Mike, went out of his way to find a book by a local author for me. Not only that, but he took my contact information to let me know if any books by the same author come through the door at any point in the future. Black Swan is a place you could lose yourself for hours and not mind a bit to do so. There are many hard-to-find as well as autographed items, and obviously, one very passionate and sincere owner.

What a charming bookstore, full of treasures tucked into a cluster of rooms in a classic old Lexington building! Browsing the shelves, you will surely find several books of interest that you will never see at the big chain stores. If you are looking for Kentuckiana, in particular, don't miss Black Swan Books. The owner will most likely be there, helpful, jovial, and passionate about his business. I love this place and try to get there every time I am in Lexington.

Wonderful bookstore-- great selection and very friendly people. I found some out-of-print treasures by Ford Madox Ford. Definitely worth checking out if you're in Lexington.

Wonderful selection of books and memorabilia! Collections are nicely displayed and organized making it a pleasure to explore. Great visiting with and gathering knowledge from the proprietor!

As a bibliophile this is a great bookstore to get lost in. Drop by to purchase a book or wander in awe. It is exactly what I want my future home to look like. The signed prints on the wall are amazing.

I'm always in search of the perfect bookstore to go to when I'm wanting a good book to read. Black Swan Books is what I have been looking for! It has such a vast variety of books at great prices, and each book is unique in its own way. In addition, the customer service is excellent and something you don't see in regular chain bookstores. The owner, J. Michael Courtney, is so friendly and gives me book recommendations every time I come. You should definitely make Black Swan your regular bookstore!

I love this place! In the day of Kindle, this dying breed is a hard luxury to find! I recommend spending time here and looking for that special gift for that bookworm in your life, it's an amazing and unique present Amazon.com cannot provide. If you value local shops, you MUST step in here!

Perhaps the most welcoming and hospitable bookstore in Kentucky. Mike went out of his way to make us feel welcomed to browse his rather impressive collection. If you are looking for rare books or simply wanting a beautiful place to explore, I would highly recommend this bookstore.

My girlfriend and I were passing through Lexington and happened to see the sign for RARE and USED books. We decided we had to stop. Immediately you know you're in for a treat because the windows, walls, and the ceiling are lined, filled, almost overflowing with books. Books everywhere! Assigned, labeled, ordered, and in good condition. The owner greeted us immediately and was very kind. Ofered us information about the area and even gave us a menu for a local diner which was also very good. The store is huge and has tons of charm. Wood floors, large rugs, small hallways, and seemingly hidden rooms are everywhere. The selection is very nice. The exact book my girlfriend was looking for was found in hardback and paperback and was reasonably priced, especially considering the condition of both. I found a first edition Vonnegut that I wanted and was pleased to see it was in mint condition with a great price attached to it. When we were about to leave, the owner spent a good deal of time with us and told us all about the area, the educational programs, the benefits of Lexington in general, and a good bit of history. He did a very good job of not only making us feel welcome in his store, but in Lexington also. Very impressed and really looking forward to traveling all the way back just to see if I can't find more great first editions. HIGHLY recommended for anybody that loves to read, loves to suport local businesses, or just loves unique and interesting shops. Great experience and a great store!